May 24, 2016

This painting was inspired
by the family of juncos
that have taken up residence
in the fuchsia basket
on our front porch.

When I first sketched the drawing
for this piece,
the two birds had scraps of grass and fluff
in their beaks,
caught in the middle
of building their new home,
and the nest was empty.
I struggled with the painting--
it just wasn't coming together--
so I set it aside for a few days,
unsure if it was worth finishing.
By the time I returned to it
I had discovered
the dearest,
most heartbreakingly tender
little clutch of eggs
in the real-life nest
on our porch,
and I knew what I needed to do
to complete the piece.

May 18, 2016

We were given a bird box
as a housewarming gift last year,
and now this Spring
a couple of chickadees
have taken up residence in it!
I peeked in
and saw a nest
a little while ago,
so now I am
(trying to)
wait patiently
to see if baby birds
join the garden party.

May 10, 2016

It's May now,
and sunlight lingers
gloriously late into the evening.
I have been taking walks at dusk
to avoid the heat of the afternoon
and enjoy the blue twilight
in the woods by my home.
Darting rabbits seem to like this time of day too,
and they have kept me company
on enough walks lately
that I decided it was time,
again,
to turn one into a painting.